Hungry, Jenny ate four teaspoons of peanut butter straight from the jar. Within minutes she became hyperactive. Sound familiar? In these four teaspoons of grocery store-bought peanut butter, Jenny just ate one whole teaspoon of sugar.

A sugar-induced epidemic may have already begun: More than two million Canadians now have diabetes, a leading cause of death by disease in this country. By 2010, that number is estimated to rise to three million (Canadian Diabetes Association). Risk factors for type II diabetes--obesity and impaired glucose tolerance--suggest a link to excess sugar consumption.

Why Organic is BetterBy, Shahid Ali Jiwa, R.Ac - Organic foods are often many times healthier than commercial grade foods. Not only are they not sprayed with insecticides and preservatives; they do not need to be, as being grown using more traditional methods advantages them.

The Seasonal DietBy, Shahid Ali Jiwa, R.Ac - Eating and preparing food seasonally goes hand-in-hand with eating local. In Nova Scotia, we can consume leafy green vegetables in the wintertime only because it is from another place, when in earlier times we would be eating more stewed root vegetables and dehydrated fruits and fermented foods.

An Introduction to Herbal Medicinewith John Cummings, Herbalist - The Wisdom of the Plants is an introduction to the time honoured practice, history, traditions and energetics of herbal medicine. The preparation of herbs, harvesting, drying and recipes for everyday herbal medicine will be covered. This workshop is recommended for anybody who is curious about medicinal herbs and their uses, and as a foundation for upcoming workshops.

6 Shocking Reasons Why Gluten is Bad For You - Awareness of the negative health effects of gluten has increased in the past few years. One 2013 survey shows that a third of North Americans are actively trying to eliminate gluten from their diets.

20 Signs that you're a Thyroid Patient - Do you know what TPO, TSH and MTHFR mean? Can you calculate the mid-point or 75th percentile of normal on a blood test range? Gone gluten-free? Over time, there seem to be a number of things thyroid patients have in common, and even some truly tell-tale signs.

Product Profile: Organic Coconut Oil - Coconut Oil is a great product that can be used in cooking, baking, raw foods, beauty products and so much more! This (non-fatty, non-trans)saturated oil is easily digestible, high in omegas and has a very high burning point. It is naturally anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and helps to boost your immune system, and overall health.

Persimmons: A strange and wonderful fruit - Persimmons are an edible tree fruit. When ripe, their color ranges from light yellow-orange to a deep red-orange, depending on their color and species. Like the tomato, there can be confusion as to what genre of food the Persimmon belongs to, and, like tomatoes, the Persimmon is in fact a type of berry.

Hike Leader Training: Leadership Level 1 - The Outdoor Council of Canada in partnership with Hike Nova Scotia is offering a course on introduction to Outdoor Leadership (Hiking), which will be held on November 9-10, at the JP Gammon Recreation centre in Scotsburn, NS.

Apple Festival at the Historic Farmers Market - Join Common Roots Urban Farm at the Historic Farmers Market on Saturday, October 26th for a day of apples! Common Roots and the Historic Market are proud to present "Apple Festival", a fundraiser in support of the "Kynock Parker Street Food Bank CSA" project.

Eco Market Blog - This Week's Eco Market Blog is all about natural cleaners and cleansers - both for your life and for your skin. Take a look by copying and pasting the following link!
http://link.ecomarket.com/view/519107859a2b124aa7a7d03e139xa.cz4/ad203487

What’s the Hard Return on Employee Wellness Programs? - Since 1995, the percentage of Johnson & Johnson employees who smoke has dropped by more than two-thirds. The number who have high blood pressure or who are physically inactive also has declined—by more than half. That’s great, obviously, but should it matter to managers? Well, it turns out that a comprehensive, strategically designed investment in employees’ social, mental, and physical health pays off.

Local Beans - Home Grown has local beans in stock! Add local Jacobs Cattle or Brown Beans to your foodbox today! And check out our Baked Bean recipe!

Simple Rules for Healthy Eating - Micheal Pollan, author of "The Omnivores Dilemma," wrote this interesting article for the NY Times outlining the sometimes sordid history of the nutrition industry and offering insight into the value of a traditional whole food diet.

Garden Fair June 20th - Megan Leslie, the MP for Halifax is planning a garden fair for the 20th of June, 1-3pm at the Bloomfield Centre, 2786 Agricola Street to try and get some good information out there about urban gardening, local food, food security and other food issues.

Links between Pesticides and ADHD - Organic agriculture prohibits pesticides linked to risk of ADHD
Following closely on the heels of the President’s Cancer Panel Report exhorting consumers to choose food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers , antibiotics, and growth hormones to help decrease their exposure to environmental chemicals that can increase their risk of contracting cancer, a study published in today’s issue of the journal Pediatrics concludes that exposure to organophosphate pesticides at levels common among U.S. children may contribute to the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in these children.

New Organic Rules Ban Intensive Confinement Dairy Feedlots - After years of claims that the organic dairy "access to pasture" requirement was vague and could not be enforced, the USDA NOP has finally come out with a rule that bans intensive confinement feedlots and requires that organic cows get at least 30% of their feed from grazing for at least four months out of the year.

Vegetarian Festive Dinner - The Halifax Association of Vegetarians is hosting a FESTIVE DINNER at Satisfaction Feast, 3559 Robie Street (one block north of Lady Hammond) and this year the guest speaker is Aurélie Pare, author of The Healthaliciously Good Cookbook. Aurélie has been interviewed on radio and television and won two recipe contests, with the winning recipe in one case going out to over one million people.

H1N1 - Naturopathic / Homeopathic Information - DO NOT BE AFRAID - BE WISE
Whether you choose to vaccinate or not you need to support your overall health. Strengthen your immune system through adequate sleep, healthy diet, exercise and take time to experience JOY in your life - have a belly laugh or two each day!

Cuisine for LIFEThe Art and Science of Living Cuisine- 3 evening seriesWednesdays, Oc - Discover the joy of living food! Learn the health benefits of living / raw food, some basic techniques of live food preparation & enjoy some tasty dishes! By the time you finish this series, you will have the skills to set up a live food kitchen and prepare a full range of meals. You will also have course handouts with information, links to additional resources, as well as a range of great recipes to get you started in your live kitchen.

Important information on the Flu Vaccine - It is highly recommended that you read the entire informative article in Dr. Mercola newsletter (a reputable source with no vested interest in the vaccines) on the media propelled flu panic (link below). The author is a neurosurgeon. Parts of the article have been excerpted below. It is full of facts that are essential to know. If you have very little time, at least read the excerpted passages. Click here to read the entire article.

Introduction to Ayurveda and Vegetarian Cookery Course - A course to introduce people to vegetarian cooking and using more local food based on the profound ancient Indian health system. Ayurveda is based on living in tune with nature and seasonal changes. Choosing foods that help your unique constitutional type to stay balanced in different environments. The goal is optimal health, healing and rejuvenation.

Complementary First Aid for Cats and Dogs - Every day, a beloved animal companion is faced with an emergency, ranging from an encounter with another animal to a dietary indiscretion. Many caregivers have found themselves in such a situation and have felt panicked, helpless and frustrated.

Some consumers want to eat foods without pesticides - by Frances Willick
Chemical pesticides were never intended to be ingested by humans; they were designed to kill pests in agricultural crops. Nevertheless, data show that many people across the globe carry these chemicals in their bodies.

The US Centers for Disease Control released their Third National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals in July 2005. The biennial report assessed the presence of 148 chemicals, including 43 pesticides, in 2400 people living in the United States. These 43 pesticides represent less than 5 percent of the total currently registered for use in the US. However, the report showed that 90 percent of the study subjects carried a mixture of these 43 pesticides in their bodies.

The majority of North Americans consume only one-quarter to one-half of the US Institute of Medicine’s recommended fibre levels of 38 g per day for men and 25 g per day for women.

So what can we do to incorporate more fibre into our diets?

Seven foods every woman must eat - Here is good-food news: The more you munch on healthy eats, the less you need to worry about Friday night fat burger and fries. Who says? Harvard. Its medical school has found that women who routinely nibble nutritiously slash their risk of dying from the usual culprits, including heart disease and cancer.

Sweet ConspiracyCarolyn Dean, MD, ND - Hungry, Jenny ate four teaspoons of peanut butter straight from the jar. Within minutes she became hyperactive. Sound familiar? In these four teaspoons of grocery store-bought peanut butter, Jenny just ate one whole teaspoon of sugar.

Good Sugars, Bad Sugarsby author Heather von Stackelberg - Our society’s collective sweet tooth is an adaptive response. It goes back to caveman days and it’s what encourages us to eat foods that are high in energy and nutrients. The problem is that the refinement of sugar has removed all the beneficial nutrients, enzymes and other plant compounds that give naturally sweet foods their goodness.

Eating Like a MediterraneanWhat is the worlds healthiest way to eat? - Back in the 1960s, researcher Ancel Keys organized an effort to find out, gathering data on diet and disease patterns throughout the world. The Seven Countries Study that resulted was nothing short of a watershed. It established the connection between saturated fat and heart disease, just for starters. But it also identified one of the worlds healthiest eating patterns.

Cancer wellness and prevention series - Chances are either you or someone close to you, have or will develop cancer in your lifetime (1 out of 4 Canadians) In order to reverse these statistics, we must choose to stop polluting our ourselves and our environment.

Kitchen Table Discussion on Health Care for Nova Scotians - The Nova Scotia Citizens' Health Care Network is a grassroots organization who represent women, men and children, peoples with disabilities, seniors, citizens, community organizations and groups and some unions for the past ten (10 years. We are committed to the public delivery and public funding for universal health care for all Canadians, without financial or other barriers.

We are pleased to extend an invitation to you to join our Kitchen Table Discussion on Health Care for Nova Scotians on January 19th at St. Matthews Church Hall on Barrington Street near Spring Garden Road, beginning at 8:30 a.m. to 11:a.m.

Yoga and Spiritual Development: The Chakras - This weekend focuses on the Chakras, energy fields in the subtle body, which correspond with specific points in the physical body. Understanding their function is helpful for developing higher consciousness.

Insight on Healing Through Homeopathy - Homeopathy is a system of natural therapeutics founded over 200 years ago and based on the principle of similars, or “like cures like.” It works with the whole person to promote a state of balance and vitality in body and mind.

Drawing For Those Who Think They Can’t Draw - Increase your skill in drawing by first learning to look and see. In a very supportive environment, experiment with a variety of drawing materials (primarily black and white media). Explore various approaches to drawing including line, value, and gesture.

Mad Cow Cover-up - The USDA has been covering up cases of Mad Cow Disease, according to a USDA veterinarian in charge of monitoring cattle for the fatal disease. On the eve of retirement, Dr. Masua Doi confessed to sketchy testing since 1997. "I don't want to carry on off to my retirement," said Doi. "I want to hand it over to someone to continue, to find out. I think it's very, very important.

Living large: Obesity on rise among rich folk - The rate of obesity among Americans earning more than $60,000 a year is growing three times faster than the rate among the poor, according to a study released yesterday at a meeting of the American Heart Association.

World leaders meet to ban 12 persistent toxic chemicals - Government officials from 130 nations are currently meeting in Uruguay to discuss methods of eliminating twelve of the world's most toxic pesticides and chemicals. Specifically, these toxins, such as DDT and PCBs, are referred to as Persistant Organic Pollutants (POPs). They are known to kill people, damage the nervous and immune systems, cause cancer and reproductive disorders, and interfere with normal infant and child development.

My Bologna has a name, it's C-A-N-C-E-R - The University of Hawaii has released a new study that shows people who consume processed meats have a 6,700% increased risk of pancreatic cancer over those who consume little or no meat products. The study was done over a period of seven years on nearly 200,000 people. Researchers pin the blame on sodium nitrite, a chemical used in nearly all processed meats, including sausage, hot dogs, jerkies, bacon, lunch meat, and even meats in canned soup products.

Budgeting for the most organic food value - If you're on a budget and you want to buy healthy organic foods, you probably pick and choose what to buy organic and what to buy non-organic. Ever wonder which foods are the safest and which are the
most pesticided?

Human Genes are what's for dinner - Japanese scientists are splicing human genes into rice that will ultimately be grown for human consumption. While some opponents say the concept borders on cannibalism, genetic engineers claim the new rice has environmental benefits.

I think, therefore I am... A lab mouse - An ethics committee at Stanford University has approved a proposal to create mice with brains made almost completely of human brain cells. Stanford law professor Hank Greely, who chaired the ethics committee, said the board endorsed this procedure based on the assumption that the animal would probably not experience higher levels of human thought, given the size and shape of the mouse brain.

Creating Human-Animal Hybrids - New guidelines set by the National Academies of Sciences would permit the development of human-animal hybrids. The creation of these new species would be allowed for the sake of research. According to the standards, this would be permitted "under circumstances where no other experiment can provide the information needed."

The Ultimate Bad Hair Day - Why did New Hampshire state assembly members interrupt debate to get haircuts? For the same reason you might want to part with a couple of inches of hair: To test for mercury contamination.

The report is called the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, and it is the most
comprehensive survey ever done into the state of our planet. It has been
completed by 1,300 scientists from 95 nations, and reviewed by 805 experts
and government officials, over a period of four years. It cost $20 million,
and it runs to 2,500 pages. This is serious stuff.
http://www.millenniumassessment.org

Yet another study finds organic food is healthier - The Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences has released a new study showing that lab animals raised on organic produce had stronger immune systems, slept better and were slimmer than those raised on conventional produce. Dr. Kristen Brandt, one of the lead scientists in the study said they can’t say specifically why there were developmental variations between the two groups of rats, but "the difference was so big that it is very unlikely to be random."

Precocious puberty - The average age of first menstruation is under 12 years.Precocious puberty is also occurring in boys. The guilty party is looking more like hormone disruptors.

Childhood obesity: Epidemic proportionsBy, Sherry Torkos, BSc Pharm - We can’t ignore the great culprits in this epidemic - poor nutrition and lack of physical activity. Families often fall prey to prepackaged, calorie-dense, fast-food options in an effort to save time. The psychosocial effects of being overweight may be as serious as the hazards to physical health.

The ABCs of hepatitis - Sometimes the treatment is worse than the cure. Prescription treatments for hepatitis may cause liver damage, too.

Fair trade? - Pharmaceutical companies invade the Third World in search of cures.

Early prostate cancer - In 2003, 4,200 men died of prostate cancer in Canada
Lycopene is a potentially powerful therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer. Dietary isoflavones may help in treatment and/or prevention.

False claims by drug companies - GlaxoSmithKline withheld clinical trial findings that Paxil had no beneficial effect in treating adolescents. What makes false drug claims so sinister, and what sets this kind of deception apart from other types of fraud, is that false drug claims can kill.

The perils of perimenopause - Sometimes signs of come early.
"Both perimenopause and PMS are brought on by rising estrogen levels and declining progesterone levels."

Fish on Friday, and Saturday, and Sunday . . . - Increasing omega-3 fatty acids for a healthy heart
"Grandma was right about cod liver oil. Omega-3 supplements offer alternative as well as complementary options and strategies for cardiovascular care."

Sweet, white, and deadly - Aspartame, the world’s most popular artificial sweetener, may leave more than a bad aftertaste.

"Aspartame accounts for more than 75 per cent of non-drug complaints received by the US Food and Drug Administration each year."

Put Your Best Foot Forward - Did you know that the average person walks approximately 115,000 miles (185,000 kilometres) in a lifetime&about five times the circumference of the earth? That’s one set of tired feet. Here are some ways to soothe them.

Mastering Menopause: A natural transition made easier - Although menopause can be induced at any age by radiation, surgery, or medication, it is generally a normal life process for women.
Menopause is the cessation of menses: a phase when hormones of the fertility cycle wind down, the ovaries stop releasing eggs, and pregnancy is no longer possible. For some it is greatly anticipated; for others it is difficult and tumultuous.

Strategies and supplements to help you lose weight - Identify your weight-loss problem and you’ll identify the dietary supplement that will help you overcome that problem. If you’re experiencing frequent hunger and sugar cravings, it’s going to be very difficult to stick to your diet.

New Year’s Determinations - We need to see our goals as the visionary part of a life-changing strategy.
Research shows that fewer than 20 per cent of New Year’s resolutions are realized.

Irritable Bowel-Irritable Person - Infection, as well as the many antibiotics used to treat them, may help to set up an environment for gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction.

The contraceptive conundrum - Weighing benefits of birth control pills
In the past 30 years, numerous chemicals and devices that manipulate women’s reproductive systems have arrived on the market. Currently, oral contraceptives are one of the most widely used drugs among women in the western world. In Canada, an estimated 18 per cent (1.3 million) of women aged 15 to 49 use oral contraceptives.

Untapping Edema - “Don’t wait. Edema is a sign: your health must become a priority. I’m grateful I took steps when I did.”

Flushing the flashes: dealing with menopause naturally - Menopause may be a natural progression in life, but it is one met with trepidation by many women. Hot flashes, night time sweats, sexual changes, and the increased risk of developing osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and breast cancer are just a few of the concerns for women entering this stage of life. EFA deficiency results in many health conditions, ranging from inflammation and PMS to menopausal symptoms.

Beating Breast Cancer: If genes don’t matter, what does? - Dorothy Reece knows how to beat breast cancer. Reece, who now lives in Victoria, Canada, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1975, when she was 49 years old and going through an emotionally draining divorce. Doctors performed a lumpectomy, gave her radiation therapy, and pronounced her treated and cured.

A history: charting the future - Alive is proud of its internationally acclaimed reputation as a leader in natural health, and an advocate for its many millions of readers
Every organization requires a vision. Ours is clear: “to educate, motivate, and support people to become skilled stewards of their health.”

The sad state of mental health in Canada - Mental illness is definitely on the rise. But do pharmaceutical drugs really help, or just mask symptoms while costing Canadians millions?
Are we all going crazy? Or is it that we are all being over-diagnosed?

Prions: infectious proteins - It was not until the work of American scientist Stanley B. Prusiner was recognized with the Nobel Prize in Physiology in 1997 that we began to understand how prions act as agents in mad cow disease.

Banish pain with bowen therapy - Bowen is a gentle manipulation of muscles at key points in the body to stimulate the flow of energy and fast-track the healing process.

Treating depression naturally - More than 20 million North Americans are afflicted with some form of depression. Find out which natural treatments may be helpful.

Optimal Nutritional Supplementation for Pregnancy - Pregnancy obviously results in an increased need for vitamins and minerals. Deficiency or excess of any of a number of nutrients can lead to birth defects and/or complications during pregnancy. What is a mother-to-be to do?
Eat a highly nutritious diet

Rediscover Fasting - Fasting has been used for thousands of years as a medical therapy to help the body detoxify and rejuvenate from all kinds of health problems. It is defined as "voluntarily not eating food for varying lengths of time.: Many of the world’s oldest medical systems have relied upon fasting for healing and as a way to prevent disease.

Protein intake that is right for you - For many years we were told that we were eating too much protein and that we needed less. Many people consciously or unconsciously believed this, and now eat very little protein (and lots of carbohydrates). However, when your diet is low in protein you can experience fatigue, emotional problems, confusion, irritability, decreased libido, confusion, dry skin brittle nails and hair loss (Gittleman, 1999). If you don’t eat enough protein then you tend to compensate by eating more carbohydrates, and can develop intense cravings for foods that are high in sugar.

Cleansing With Common Weeds - Although cleansing is an ancient tradition, the necessity of doing so is more important today than ever before. We are exposed to thousands of chemical substances that didn’t exist 100 years ago: insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers, air pollution, preservatives, artificial colours, artificial flavours and sweeteners, automobile exhaust, electromagnetic fields, radioactivity, water pollution, toxic materials in the home and at work, cigarette smoke, and alcohol and drug toxicity.

MalnutritionBy, David Crowe, BSc - The importance of nutrition has a lifecycle as long as human existence. It affects all ages and all the world’s populations. Humanity also shares the threat of malnutrition, which is definitely not confined--as it is so often presumed--to Third World countries.
Good nutrition starts before birth, since deficiencies in a mother’s diet can pass to the child in the form of serious birth defects such as blindness (lack of vitamin A) and developmental defects (lack of vitamin B). After birth, the first serious cause of malnutrition is formula feeding. Human breast milk is perfectly balanced to meet the nutritional needs of infants.

The Truth About Cholesterol - Just say the word "cholesterol" and most people shudder. Almost half of North Americans are believed to have less-than-optimum cholesterol levels. Cholesterol has been vilified as "Public Enemy No. 1," to be eliminated from the diet--and lowered in the bloodstream--at all costs. But at what cost to your health?

The Flouride FiascoBy, David Crowe - Improving human or corporate health?
It might be in every glass of water you drink-tasteless, colourless and odourless. It might be saving your teeth from cavities, or slowly poisoning you. Most public health officials and dentists don't question its benefits, while a few scientists have argued against its use. "It" is flouride, a compound added at about one part per million (ppm) to municipal water supplies from which over half of us drink.

TAKE BACK YOUR HEALTH with Michael O'Brien - Michael O'Brien is a 40-year veteran and noted enzyme research scientist, he has personally worked with many of the early pioneers of the nutrition field including Bernard Jensen, Ph.D., D.C. and Dr. John Christopher.

The Health Hazards of Drinking Pop and Other Soft DrinksBy, Janis Brown, BA RN MN RNCP - As a child I gladly ran to the corner store every Saturday to buy the usual items because in addition I was also allowed to buy two bottles of pop. One of which was exclusively for me. If I was lucky, the bottle lasted until Tuesday, but it was usually gone by Monday, and I would take sneaky drinks from the other bottle that was meant for the rest of the family. I thought I was very lucky since most of my friends did not get such treats.

Remedy:Attend a free half-day workshop on the links between climate change and health. Learn about the links between climate change and health

For your health and your family! - As a seventh grade student, Claire Nelson learned that di(ethylhexyl)adepate (DEHA), considered a carcinogen, is found in plastic wrap. She alsolearned that the FDA had never studied the effect of microwave cooking on plastic-wrapped food.

Cafe Canada - The next Cafe Canada will be on Friday, October ll, 7:30 pm at theMahone Bay Centre on School Street. This meeting will be on Health Care with Heather Robinson, Head of the Nova Scotia Nurses Union as our speaker.

Organic crops no more nutritional - There is no appreciable difference between the nutritional content of organic fruits and vegetables and conventionally grown ones, according to research commissioned by The Globe and Mail and CTV.

In Season - Daikon - People are always talking about eating in season, and so am I, but I heard a new take on the subject the other day.

What in the world is KEFIR? - Kefir, a probiotic cultured dairy product, is similar in some ways to yogurt, but offers a wider variety of health benefits.

Turnips - Not only is this root vegetable easy to grow, but it keeps well, too. The turnip, a vegetable of the same genus of the family Cruciferae (mustard family) as the cabbage, is native to Europe, where it has long been cultivated. As it is a biennial cool-whe